This invention is directed to devices and methods for delivering nucleic acids into a plant using a laser.
The background description includes information that may be useful in understanding the present invention. It is not an admission that any of the information provided herein is prior art or relevant to the presently claimed invention, or that any publication specifically or implicitly referenced is prior art.
Plant pathogens pose numerous challenges to the plant industry. One of the most serious challenges involves controlling pathogens to prevent significant plant losses. For example, Huanglongbing (hereinafter referred to as “HLB”) or citrus greening disease has led to a loss of many citrus trees. Consequently, HLB may be very damaging to the crop yield in large scale operations.
Some have contemplated using RNA interference (hereinafter referred to as “RNAi”) to improve the characteristics of a plant. For example, Younis et al., contemplates RNAi as a tool to engineer pathogen resistant plants, insect/pest resistant plants, and improved quality plants. Adnan Younis et al., RNA Interference (RNAi) Induced Gene Silencing: A Promising Approach of Hi-Tech Plant Breeding, International Journal of Biological Sciences 2014, Vol. 10: 1150-1158. Others have contemplated similar uses of RNAi in plants, including Karl H. J. Gordon et al., RNAi for insect-proof plants, Nature Biotechnology 2007, Vol. 10: 11, Hajeri et al., Citrus tristeza virus-based RNAi in citrus plants induces gene silencing in Diaphorina citri, a phloem-sap sucking insect vector of citrus greening disease (Huanglongbing), Journal of Biotechnology 176 (2014) 42-49, and Wie Tang et al., Efficient delivery of small interfering RNA to plant cells by a nanosecond pulsed laser-induced stress wave for posttranscriptional gene silencing, Plant Science 171 (2006) 375-381. These and all other extrinsic materials discussed herein are incorporated by reference in their entirety. Where a definition or use of a term in an incorporated reference is inconsistent or contrary to the definition of that term provided herein, the definition of that term provided herein applies and the definition of that term in the reference does not apply.
Nucleic acids, and more specifically RNAi, may be used to enhance a plant as briefly described above. Some have contemplated delivering RNA into a plant to control pathogen and/or pest control damage. For example, Tang (US 2013/0047298) contemplates spraying or brushing the surface of a plant with a double-stranded RNA (hereinafter referred to as “dsRNA”) to promote penetration of dsRNA into plant cells. Although spraying or brushing is less invasive than other delivery methods, it appears that the uptake of RNA by spraying or brushing may be compromised due to the relatively low permeability of the outer layer of some plants.
Thus, there is still a need in the art for improving uptake of nucleic acids (e.g., RNAi) in plants.